Bauke Mollema's stage 3 time trial performance may not have left him atop the general classification, but he knew he was in pole position at the Vuelta a San Juan, and he duly delivered on the Alto de Colorado to take the blue leader's jersey.
The Dutchman had just three seconds to make up on Ramunas Navardauskas on the final climb on Friday's stage 4 - a category 1 ascent that was not overly steep at an average of 4.4 per cent, but was 15km long and rose to an altitude of 2500 metres. Despite a spirited display from the Lithuanian, who dug deep, Mollema managed it comfortably with a fifth place finish on the day, 12 seconds behind stage winner Rui Costa.
"Of course I'm really happy to take the jersey – that was the goal today," said Mollema in his post-race press conference. "After the time trial I was in a good position, and I knew it was possible to take the lead.
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"It was a hard stage, the start was really difficult, and there was a high pace all day. The hardest part was the altitude, going up to 2,500m – at this stage of the season that's really hard. It was tough towards the top, but luckily I did enough to take the jersey."
Mollema now leads the general classification by 14 seconds from Oscar Sevilla, with Colombian Rodolfo Torres a further two seconds back.
Two stages remain in the race, and they're both flat, meaning Mollema, barring accident or surprise, should be crowned the overall winner on Sunday.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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